10-25-2015 weekly message

Meditation of the week: Psalms 17:1-15

Main scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-13

Subject: What are we beside ourselves to?

           Apostle Paul spoke unto the saints of Corinthians church saying, “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.”(2Cor. 5:13)

Then, why Apostle Paul testified, he is beside to God? We’d better meditate why he was beside himself to God. Before he saw Jesus Christ, he had been beside to killing the children of God. But now he is beside himself to God, but he is no more beside himself to murdering the children of God, he became to sober for them, and rather he ministered them.

                Of the reason why he had been changed was because of the faith in the hope given by God as much as he was to be beside himself to God. He became to look forward the hope in the kingdom of God, no more in the visible world. He wrote a letter unto Hebrews saying,

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

For by it the elders obtained a good report.

……. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”(Heb. 11:1,2,6)

             When we testified of men of faith, he used Enoch as an sample of them. Enoch is the sample of the Christian that shall be translated without seeing death, when the Lord Jesus Christ appear in the air to take his bride, that is his church home in heaven:

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”(Heb. 11:5)

              The man of God, Moses testified of Enoch long time ago saying:

“And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”(Gen. 5:21-24)

                  The name “Methuselah” means that something great to come in the future; it was related to the great flood in the day of Noah. Enoch was translated after he begat Methuselah, and walked with God for three hundred years before the flood came to the earth. This is a shadow of the church of God to be translated to heaven before the Great Tribulation to come to the earth. As another example, the LORD God sent his angels to take out Lot right before he judged Sodom with fire. Therefore, God will translate his church, the body of Christ not abandoning in the world before the Great Tribulation.

            In the main passage, Apostle Paul testifies of the hope before us with joy. The earthly house of this tabernacle shall be falling down when we give up our breath as the hose that is made of dust. He testifies, our flesh is the house of our soul; and we are going to put of sooner or later. He testifies, our Lord Jesus Christ will translate to our eternal house in heavens when he appear in the air in near future.

              At that time, Apostle Paul and his brother and sisters in the Lord must have believed that the Lord Jesus was going to appear to take them home when they were alive. They must have been able to overcome all kinds of afflictions through the substance from their faith of what they hoped for.

Apostle Paul testifies of their faith in the main passage:

“For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”(2Cor. 5:4-7)

             When Jesus spoke before he raised Lazarus from death; he implied of two kinds of resurrection of Christian; someone after they die, the other ones before they die being alive. Jesus asked Martha after he spoke unto her:

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”(John 11:25,26)

Martha answered Jesus saying, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”(John 11:27)

But afterwards, when she went the grave of Lazarus, she spoke unto the Lord forsaking her faith:

“Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.”(John 11:39)

Then Jesus spoke unto her again saying,

“Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”(John 11:40)

Finally, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! Then, he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes; and he his face was bound about with a napkin.

Even now, Lord Jesus is asking us, “Believest thou this?”

               As the body of Lazarus stinks, even our body is also getting old being corrupted gradually smelling stink. Therefore, Lord Jesus is still speaking unto us, “If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”

         Apostle Paul was always confident because of the Holy Ghost within him. He testified of the Holy Ghost as the earnest of the Spirit. In other word, he testified of the Holy Ghost as a earnest money or deposit to buy house before the house is built. This is the reason why he was willing rather to be absent from the body to be in the house in heaven. In other word, he wanted to die to go to heaven. But he was looking for the benefit for others, not seeking his to have others to be saved (1Cor. 10:33)

                  He encouraged the saints that have faith to live with the Lord in heaven to please God during the life in the earth, for they must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good of bad. This is the reason why the children of God fear the Lord in the hope of translation to heaven. He encouraged unto the saints of Philippians saying,

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”(Phil. 2:12,13)

             King David also confessed of the hope of resurrection by faith:

 “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”(Ps. 17:15)

Yeah! When Apostle Paul confessed saying, For whether we beside ourselves, it is to God.”; he encourages us to have our life in the earth to be all-in to God before we see the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! Hallelujah!